The Jaguar F-Type Should Have Made Playboy’s List of the Best Cars Ever

Maybe instead of the controversial and mind-boggling inclusion of the Chrysler 300, the upcoming Jaguar F-Type would have snagged a high-ranking spot on the list.

One of the sexiest cars of all time, the Jaguar E-Type, rightfully received mention, and the F-Type looks to become a very worthy successor.

How can a car that’s not even available yet be considered for a list of the best cars ever?

Because this isn’t just a car. This is the Jaguar that will get the company back into the sports car business. This is a car that will debut as a roadster, and come as a coupe later, so the topless design and dynamics will be just as good as, if not better than, the fully enclosed version. This is a car that will come out of the gate with a 380-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6.

No, it’s not a fully blown V8 that makes an ungodly amount of horsepower, but it does mean the F-Type could be Porsche-esque in its efficient use of the power it does have. That’s exactly what Jaguar needs. With a V6 the company tells the world it fully intends to build a driver’s car, not just another overpowered RWD roadster.

Even the 2012 911 doesn’t offer anything bigger than a 400-hp 6-cylinder.

But if it’s an over-powered RWD roadster (or coupe) that you want, it seems Jaguar will take care of you, too.

According to Car and Driver, the F-Type will, eventually, also get a version of Jag’s 5.0-liter V8.

Since the base V8 has only 385 ponies on tap, it makes sense to assume the supercharged 470- and 550-horsepower versions are the most likely. Those engines might have a better growl, but if it were me, I’d stick with the supercharged V6 and wring it for all it’s got rather than waste the V8’s potential.

Jaguar is doing this car right and, no question, it’ll be included on future lists of the greatest cars of all time.

3 Comments

Looks like a wonderful car and it’s nice that Jag doesn’t fall for the temptation to overpower the car. Performance Icons like the earlier BMW M3’s certainly prove that 6-cylinder mills can achieve world-class performance in a good chassis, so the F-type should be a great driver’s car.
As for Playboy and the Chrysler 300, you’ll see a direct correlation between Chrysler ad money in the magazine being rewarded with a choice that renders the other choices as irrelevent. The 300 on a list of the best 25 cars of all time is like putting Rosanne Barr in a list of the 25 most beautiful women of all time.